Sorry for the silence the last couple of days, but I've been enjoying the summer weather so much I completely forgot to turn on my laptop. I think that has been a good thing, really. I have been focusing on my offline life more, and that's very healthy every once in a while.

But today, I missed blogging too much to stay away - which is why I'm writing you this post so early in the morning. I have plenty to do today, but I just woke up a little earlier to get this to you. ;)

So, in today's post I will show you my take on wearing army pants. Of course, it's already a bit too warm for them, but at the time of taking those photos, it was cooler.

So, a little different kind of look than usually. I gotta say I personally really liked this look, especially after my colleague M said I look like I was going to punch someone in the face - or whip them. That comment sure made my day, I didn't think the look is that hard. Those pants were such an amazing find from a flea market, and cost practically nothing (meaning, about 3 Euros) - and just think how awesome outfits one can make with these!!

But now, the word is yours: What do you think about this look here? ♥
I'm off now to run a ton off errands, but I try to keep in touch with you later tonight!

I hope you're all doing well and having a great day. I'm once again starting the day with fruit breakfast and a jog, which seems to be the winning combo for me at the moment. Now I only wish it won't rain when I get out, though, haha!

As I've been promising, here's my take on healthy lifestyle, detox, and that sorts of stuff. This post is not read through by any experts, so for the real advice, consult someone who has a degree on the matter - or is an enthusiast, and therefore knows everything there is to know. I'm still learning, so there probably is a ton of things I could do better, but you know, I'll get there.

Where I started
My reason for doing this is not weight loss but rather to feel better about my body, get a healthier life and to make the most out of my life. I've been missing proper exercise for a couple of years, so it was desperately time to do something about that. Here's a couple of photos of my body from day one. It's not that bad, but it's definitely not a very sporty body. My worst problem area is my middle body, especially the stomach. I have the tendency to suffer from bloating, so this journey is a lot about finding out what makes my body act weird like that.

What you can't see here is that for months now, I've been fighting a thing called "skinny fat". Which means that even though my weight isn't an issue, my body lacks muscle and has fat there instead. This is mostly caused in my case by stressing out, not working out, and eating very badly. Skinny fat may not sound like a big deal, but what I've read, it can evolve to a really bad thing. That's why I decided it's time for change, and time to get back into the shape I was a couple of years ago.

Eating habits

I'm the worst eater, I can stand without food for hours if I just focus into doing something. That is super unhealthy, and combined with the stress, it made my appetite practically disappear. This spring, I've been learning to eat bigger portions again, but also, I've learned how to make better choices with my food. I've also tried to learn the importance of drinking enough water, which is super important now that I'm exercising more.

Here are some examples of my basic foods I've eaten the past couple of weeks:

Lots of fresh stuff, veggies, fruit, berries... Plenty of water and fluids (mostly without sugar, caffeine or alcohol), and enough protein to keep my muscles healthy. Basically I just try to eat everything in neat balance, cutting off just unnecessary sugar, fat and empty calories. That way, I can keep on eating lot, but it won't start to hinder my progress. One important thing about my new diet (well, not diet, really, but more like eating habits) is that I refuse to eat overly lot of the processed foods. I hate what all the additional substances do to the body - and not to mention, to your metabolism - so I try to minimize them from my foods altogether. One great thing that has come out of this, is that even though I like candies, I don't crave for them anymore. I've kicked my sugar addiction at least from that aspect, which I'm really proud of. I rather buy fresh berries or a pomegranate, and snack on that instead.

I also did a small detox to cleanse my body and prepare it for the new lifestyle. I added loads of water into my diet, made some of that lemon water, and drank green tea to boots my metabolism - or, I think I should say my usage of water or something. Anyway, the point is to get rid of the junk my body had stored during stressful months and to make the body open for change.It worked wonders for me, and it reminded how important it is to keep the body hydrated. Also, most of you know that a detox also removes that nasty bloating, so it's really good for you. I could've gone all fluids on the detox, but because my job requires quite a lot physical stuff, I kept eating solid food through that. I must say, tough, sometimes I really want to try the all-fluids one for a few days.

Exercise

I go jogging 3-4 times per week, and on those days I tend to do some other exercise as well, like sit-ups etc., yoga or dancing. I know they say things like "no pain, no gain", but my mentality is to keep it fun for me. That way, it feels like fun me-time instead of something I have to do in order to look good. So even though I don't mind the pain here and there when the muscle gets trained, I don't expect pain from every single workout.

But the main point here, too, is that the workout removes stress, which then works wonders for the body, since no stress means no bloating. The stress ruined my metabolism so completely that it desperately need this. I could post here some exact exercises that I do, but I really don't have the knowledge to say which suits for who, so I'll just give you an idea what I do. You always need to find out what works just for you, and you can always ask from someone who knows more. But my training isn't that hard, so if you expect super visible results, you should consult someone else. :)

My average week of exercise:
4 x 45-60 min jog in a speed that gets the sweat on (and increasing the speed as the stamina gets better)
2-3 x muscular exercise, about 30-45 min (meaning sit-ups and such, you can find great ones from here)
1-2 x dancing for 30-45 min, with the help of videos, yay for YouTube (if Shakira swears on this, what's not to believe?)
+ stretching after every workout, including some yoga-like breathing exercises.

So yeah, my exercising is really more about feeling good than about really gaining muscle. Though I try to get a bit of muscle visible, too. :D

Now

These photos were taken yesterday afternoon, so you should see the bloating, but somehow it's not there! Yay! I'm already quite happy with the results, but of course I would like to perfect the abs just a little more. That might take a little more time than these results, but I'm cool with that. As long as I can hold the body in this point, I'm more than happy!

Well, okay, I'd be lying if I didn't admit I try to perfect the abs still, but I don't feel the pressure for it as much. (And lol for the marks here and there on the body, didn't notice them until now! Oh well)

Extra

Many of you might notice the difference on my skin tone between the first photos and the last ones. It's because I've used a tanning lotion, and tanning mousse. I know one shouldn't put all the chemicals on their skin, but a bit of tan makes me feel healthier (I do know it's silly) so that's why. I don't get the color too well from the sun as it is, my natural skin color practically reflects the sunlight and I get burned easily, so I don't feel good about lying sunbathing for hours. And solarium/sunbed, that's even worse! You get the dangerous UV rays, but not the vitamins (except on some new ones, I've heard), it makes your skin older prematurely, and if you use solarium regularly, you increase the risk of getting skin cancer for 75%.

So think twice before tanning. I know it looks good, but no one should risk their health for brown skin. Ever.

So that's my progress so far, I still feel insecure about sharing this as I am so self-conscious about my body, but since my friend L asked for tips and such on Instagram, I thought why not. I'm telling you L, you can do it, it's just about teaching yourself new habits by learning what works your body! You have my full support, honey! ♥

I hope you like this post, I'm sure there are many others out there, too, hoping to get in shape for the beach and all. You can do it! And you don't need to starve for yourself. Two weeks can make all the difference, so imagine what two months can do ♥
I'm off now, to get my much needed workout. ;)

I had a great day, I once again started it with a jog, and in the afternoon I had a date with my friend L. It was so good to get to gossip about things and just get a laugh with a girlfriend, I totally needed it. Thanks L, you rock! ♥

Anyway, today's post is just a quite short one with nail art pictures - as I'll have a longer one coming up tomorrow or the day after. As usual, I have two looks for you here, hope you like them!

First one is a bright pink mani with gold glitter. Again I was doing a leopard print, since I just love it so much.

The polishes I used were China Glaze Escaping Reality (two coats over a white polish), China Glaze I'm Not Lion (two coats over a random gold polish) and Essie Licorice.

I was pretty happy with these nails, they have all the great elements ;) My cuticles aren't at their prettiest here, so sorry about that!

And for once, the two manicures have something in common. They're both pink!

...this one just isn't quite as bright. So here's a little half moon mani I made with white (Essie Blanc) and soft pink (Sally Hansen Sweetie Pie).

Again, sorry about the cuticles, they were in horrible shape back then, but I've gotten them better since.

I should've done these with the help of stickers, but I tried to practice my free hand painting - you can never do that too much! Also, my top coat was running low, so you can see pretty ugly stripes here and there :P Lesson there: when you have a fast dry top coat, make sure there's enough of it before using or it'll end up looking nasty!

But, your turn: What do you think about the manicures here? And, what are you wearing in your nails today? ♥
This girl is off to bed now, but I'll get back as soon as I can!

I hope you're all having a great start for your week - I started my morning with a fruit breakfast and workout, which seems to be the perfect start for the week. Tomorrow I will start to put together the detox/healthy lifestyle post, and I hope I get it done soon enough.

Today, however, I wanted to share an outfit I wore a while back when our friends J and K were visiting us. I was trying to combine cozy with rock chic, and this is what happened:

So this is my take on how to wear a sweatshirt with a girly skirt, and make it work. I wanted to do something unusual (for me, at least) and I think it went kinda well.

I hope you're all doing well, I'm currently trying to stomach Finland's awful hockey game against Sweden - they lost, but will get the chance to win bronze from either Switzerland or USA, we'll see. Anyone else watching the world cup now? :D

Also, tomorrow is exciting because I get to meet other bloggers from my town at the fashion flea market (Muotikirppis), I will have my camera with me, and try to take nice photos for you to see, too. Finnish readers: Kuinka moni on tulossa huomenna Pakkahuoneelle Muotikirppikselle? On varmaan hieno tapahtuma tiedossa ;)
Anyway, today I just wanted to share a couple of foodpics and an outfit I wore to have a coffee with a dear friend L a while ago.

These photos were taken in my favorite restaurant, Maruseki, which serves amazing Japanese food - I've eaten the best sushi so far in there. The food is always like art, it looks amazing and it also tastes fantastic!

A variety of sushi that I had the last time, every single piece was way too awesome ;)

Later that day, I went to see a friend I hadn't met for over a year, and as it was one of the first warm days, I dressed like it, too.

So, another quite simple and a bit rock chic look. I love the combination of black and red so much, and those tights are way too cool! I think many people thought I wasn't wearing any pants, so I got some pretty funny looks when I walk around dressed like that. I can assure that you'll be seeing more of those tights later on, as soon as I figure out what to combine them with.

But now, the word is yours: What do you think about this look? ♥
I'm off now, to watch more hockey, but I'll get back to blogging again tomorrow ;)

So this is kinda how I wear casual looks on days that I'm tired, busy, or simply can't bother about my look. Could be worst. ;D I'm completely in love with that sweatshirt, it's super comfy and cool and I'm almost sad it's too warm to wear it already.

But, what do you think? And, what kinda clothes do you wear on the most casual days? ♥

I'm off now, to get some much needed sleep, but I will try to write something again tomorrow!